Union Bay: The City of Mystery
by Houndoomer
Summary: One girl's quest to grow up and the amazing things that happened to her.
1. Those Bothersome Boys!

Chapter 1: Those Bothersome Boys!  
  
Eight bells tolled from the enormous clock tower in Statue Plaza as I, a seventeen-year-old girl named Rachel Stevens, rose from my slumbers, rubbing my eyes as the sun rose over the nearby Union Bay Stadium. "Oh, morning already?" I whined as I wobbled across the hall, over to the bathroom, to wash my face. "I hate Mondays. They always signal the return of school," I remember saying as I was drenching myself with water to get myself awake. Reaching for my clear toothbrush, I had noticed my younger brother, only a year my junior, had entered the bathroom as well. "Hey squirt. Have a good sleep?" I said as I grabbed for a cup, but the closest one I could find was a silly cup shaped like a Wooper's head. "Yeah, yeah." My little brother uttered, washing his face like I had moments ago, "I was awoken by Pichu in the middle of the night." It was then that Pichu, the family Pokemon that my brother caught a year ago to raise and battle with his friend's Pokemon, walked into the bathroom, and rubbed against my foot. I thought it was very cute. "You know, it might be a little pest, but it's still pretty cute." I said as I whished water around my mouth and spit into the sink. "Yeah. Just don't let Pichu know, or else it will never evolve." I chuckled. Pichu jumped onto my shoulder and started snuggling on my shoulder. I thought it was cute.  
  
As I was getting dressed, I had noticed that my Pokemon, Dratini, had gotten up and now was hopping up and down on my bed, waiting for me. After putting on my sneakers, I curled up on my bed next to Dratini and rubbed its neck. It smiled and shrieked loudly, then jumped off the bed and crawled with me, downstairs, to eat breakfast.  
  
Walking down Qwilfish Street, the street I live on, to get to the main boulevard after I had eaten breakfast and left to catch the bus, I had noticed that many of the stores were selling little necklaces with the Union Bay charm on them. It was a strange looking charm, a swirling circular hollow circle filled with water and a small fake diamond in the middle. I had rolled my eyes at the price of the charm, and then realized that these things were for tourists, and they were overpriced for a reason. Again, I rolled my eyes. Once I had reached the bus stop at the corner of Qwilfish Street and Celebi Boulevard, I noticed that there were a ton of people waiting there as well, mostly people from my school, Moon Bay High. I noticed a face in the crowd that I recognized. It was one of my friends, Steph.  
  
"Hey!" I shouted to Steph, hoping that she would hear me, and she did, running over to me. "What's going on here?" "Oh, the bus is running late again, Rachel." Steph informed me. "Not again!" I looked at my digital watch. "Oh great, eight thirty, we're gonna be late for school." At that moment, the bus for Route 19, the bus route we take to get to school, showed up. Like all the other buses in Union Bay, the bus was in a Pokemon motif. Like all the other buses on this route, it was colored green and purple, and had a plastic statue of Celebi on the front, to match Celebi Boulevard. Everyone got on the bus, and we took some of the seats in the back with some cute senior boys.  
  
"You know, Mrs. Alden gave us so much homework yesterday that I almost popped!" Steph complained. I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, "How would she know? She was asleep!" She then switched to another topic. "So, have you decided on which Pokemon course you're going to take?" "Not really." This was the truth, mind you. I had no clue which Pokemon course I was going to take. There were breeding classes, training classes, gym leader classes, and so many other types of classes that I would need a class just to master these types of classes. "Well, why in the world not? You have to decide by next week!" She started shouting. I was reminded of my mother. "Okay, so I'll see what I like soon and I'll decide." After the bus stopped at school, I thought I had noticed that one of the senior boys, one wearing a blue varsity jacket, the one that just happened to be in the same history and science classes, was looking at me. Then I realized, he wasn't looking, he was staring at me, checking me out! I quickly ran off the bus and ran into school. I didn't even know the guy's name! Sure, he was cute, but still, I do have some dignity!  
  
During science class, which just happened to be the first class of the day, Mrs. Alden split the class up into groups to do a specific project about a Pokemon. Ours was to be on the new flying Pokemon, Pelippaa. I had three other people in my group. One of course was Steph; the other two were varsity soccer players and seniors. I recognized one of them as the one that was staring at me, the one I had tried to escape from on the bus. "Great," I thought to myself, "this time I'm stuck here." He introduced himself as Aaron Stein, an eighteen-year old senior. Then he introduced his friend, Seth Silver. They were both cute, but really immature. "Sorry I scared you on the bus liked that," he said calmly, "I'm just friendly, I guess." Then he and his friend laughed at his comment. "Oh, uh, that's okay." Then I shot Steph a look that just screamed 'help'. "Look, let's just get started on the project." Steph interrupted. It seems she knew what I was talking about. "Geez, okay, we'll start." Seth smirked and said without seriousness.  
  
Following science class, I walked to gym class. Of course, I just happened to be in the same class as Seth. "Oh, will I ever get rid of these clowns?" I thought to myself. Seth started walking up to me when the teacher, Mrs. Downs, blew the whistle, so we had to line up behind her. Today, we were running half a mile to practice for the end-of-the-year exam, which are a mile of running and a ton of other exercises. I smiled, considering the fact that track is my favorite sport. When the whistle blew, I was off. I started slow, so that I could gain speed at the end. And then, of course, Seth came up next to me. "What, you can't fun faster? That's really a shame. I'll show you what a man can do!" Seth shouted as he ran. I rolled my eyes, and then sped up, leaving Seth in the dust. Crossing the finish line, I laughed. "Oh, wow, you really showed me!" I shouted out to him, and then chuckled loudly as I left to enter the locker room.  
  
The day went by as all other classes. Some goon from the varsity soccer team would harass me to no end. "They are giving me an Excedrin headache." Samantha, another one of my friends, mentioned to me. "Do you know these immature morons?" "Yes, unfortunately." I frowned as soon as I said it.  
  
During history, the teacher, Mr. Martinez, decided to switch everyone around, and this time, we got to pick our seats. Now, two people shared a desk because they were so big, so I was hoping that either Samantha or Steph, but unfortunately, they sat next to each other. I don't think I need to tell you who sat next to me, but if you don't know, his name starts with Aaron and ends with Stein. All through Mr. Martinez's conversation about the history of Saffron City, Aaron kept poking me with his pencil and rubbing his leg against mine. It was really degrading, but before I could say something to him, the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. I have never been so happy to leave school. I literally ran out of class, down the hall (and over Seth, who was waiting to greet me), and out the door. I decided not to take the bus and to walk home, even though it was a long walk.  
  
I walked along the tree-lined Celebi Boulevard. As I passed a likeness of the great forest god in stone, I realized how important Pokemon was to me. Maybe I should focus more on Pokemon than other things, like boys. I laughed at that. 


	2. Something Good out of Something Bad

Chapter 2: Something Good Out of Something Bad  
  
The next day was a Saturday, so I called up Steph and Samantha and asked them if they wanted to go to Statue Plaza to hang out. They said yes, so I got dressed in the Union Bay fashion, grabbed my Ultra Ball with my Dratini inside it, and ran out the door and down Qwilfish Street to Entei Boulevard. Running down Qwilfish, I noticed the mammoth Radio Tower poking out of the skyline of medium sized skyscrapers and four-story single homes. When I thought I was almost out of breath, I had arrived at Statue Plaza. The clock tower had just rung ten times, and as I looked around, searching for any sign of Samantha or Steph, I noticed some other familiar, unwanted faces. I noticed a whole group of boys sitting at a café, and they were all wearing varsity jackets. "Here we go again!" I shouted. Deciding they weren't going to ruin my day, I walked across the street to the statues and the clock tower, with flowers all around. I thought they had noticed me when I flipped back my hair, but I guess they didn't . for now I mean. But when I started to smell one of the flowers, they noticed me and started making a scene.  
  
"Hey Aaron, it's Rachel from school!" Seth shouted to Aaron. "Who's Rachel?" another goon asked. Aaron told his friend who I was, I guess, because I didn't hear what he said. Then, as I turned around and looked at the clock tower, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that all of them got up and started walking towards me. I panicked, and then started jogging away from them. When they started running, I ran too. Down Entei Boulevard to the Shorefront, running as fast as I could with eight varsity soccer players on your tail is not exactly a picnic. On the way to the Shorefront, I passed some Pokemon boutiques. They had a Lure Ball, which I thought would be really cool to house Dratini. Passing another avenue with several cars zooming by, I ran into someone. I excused myself, and ran some more. As soon as I reached the Shorefront, a street with pastel-colored houses on one side and the beach on the other, a bus pulled up. This one was a dark blue bus with a light blue stripe and a fake Tentacool in the front. I jumped on board, and three seconds after I got on, it closed, and I was finally away from those annoying boys.  
  
After escaping that wild child and all his little friends, I wouldn't have minded anything. Sitting next to a window, I stared out into Union Bay, with which the town was named for. Seeing the stadium as the bus passed by it, I imagined myself holding the Imoto Pokemon Trophy high in the air with my Dratini right beside me. I imagined myself shouting out into the crowd, shouting, "I'm the best!" Of course, this would be perfectly normal, if I hadn't really shouted it. I slithered down into my seat so that everyone would stop staring at me.  
  
About ten miles down the road, I came across the Union Bay Pokemon Gym. Union Bay is unique in that both the Union Bay Stadium, where the Imoto Convention is held, and the Union Bay Gym, one of the eight gyms that the Imoto Pokemon League has validated. This one just happened to be a Water Pokemon Gym, run by my aunt, Aurora, an extremely experienced Water Pokemon Trainer. I got off the bus at the corner and ran inside. The receptionist greeted me and told me that my aunt was inside in the poolroom where Water Pokemon trainers come and practice. I walked in to the chlorine-smelling room, where I met with my aunt.  
  
"I have a problem, Aunt Aurora." I told her. "Well, what is it child? You know I can help with anything." She replied with confidence. "Well, these boys from school are really freaking me out. They keep chasing after me!" I started sulking. "Well, boys will be boys. I guess the only thing you can do is teach them a lesson." Then, when I thought I had gotten rid of all my troubles, at least for one day, who would walk in but Seth and Aaron and all their friends, looking for a Pokemon match. I started to get paranoid again. "Those are the guys I was talking about, Aunt Aurora! What do I do?" I was really nervous. "Well, in this case, I say the best thing to do here is to teach those boys a lesson. I have a plan, if you're interested." She always came up with the best plans. She then told me of her plan. I was going to act as the Gym Leader of the gym for this match, and since my aunt had great confidence in me, I knew I would be able to overcome anything. She then asked me if I had brought Dratini, which I didn't, so I'd have to use one of her Pokemon, but that was okay, since I spent time raising them myself. I picked Lanturn and Qwilfish, two of the Pokemon I had bonded with most closely and two of the most strategically advanced Water Pokemon. I picked out their Pokeballs, and attached them to a belt. Then I went to get changed, and if you're interested, it was into a royal blue bikini with blue and aqua strings hanging from it. I decided to take a quick dive into the pool. It felt so good as the tips of my toes touched the cool tile on the pool floor, feeling free like that. Then, when I saw that those goons had entered the room and were awaiting my arrival, I rose to the surface, making sure they didn't see whom I was, and since they had never seen me wear this before, I was safe. I walked out of the pool and grabbed a towel, throwing it on my head and rubbed my hair dry, moving into my position. My aunt started the battle. "Trainer, are you ready?" she said to Aaron, the one battling today. Aaron, with a serious look on his face, shouted, "Ready!" Then, my aunt turned to me. "Gym Leader, you are ready?" It was time for my cue. I grabbed the towel, threw it into the sky, and it landed across my shoulders. Then, I revealed my face to my opponents with a determined look on my face. "Let's do this!" The boys jumped back a little. Seth, a little confused, turned to Aaron and said, "Dude, she's the gym leader!" Aaron smiled. "Then I will certainly enjoy this battle." I stood there with no reaction, then yelled, "Are you ready or not?" And with that, the Pokemon battle began. The rules were explained; use one Pokemon and the first to knock out both wins, and no switching. Aaron, playing smart, revealed his first Pokemon. "Electabuzz, go!" I laughed. He had fallen right into my trap. "Lanturn, go! We can do it!" Lanturn jumped out of its Pokeball, and with a determined face, shouted, "Lan lan lan lan Lanturn!" Aaron, at first laughed. "Electabuzz, jump in and use Thunderbolt!" Electabuzz charged up and released lightning from its antennas, but unfortunately for Electabuzz, Lanturn, even though a Water Pokemon easily shook off the attack due to being half-Electric. Plus, I noticed that Electabuzz wasn't all that strong. I smirked. "That's what I thought. You assumed that all water Pokemon are the same. Lanturn, return fire! Use your Spark attack!" Lanturn, using Spark, paralyzed Electabuzz easily.  
  
I told Lanturn then to use Whirlpool, and it swam around Electabuzz at an alarming speed. A whirlpool formed around Electabuzz, throwing it up out of the pool and making it crash into the roof, then throwing it back into the water, surprisingly KO'ing it. Aaron, disappointed, returned Electabuzz into its Pokeball. "Well, looks like you're both beautiful and powerful." He then gave a little smirk. "The best of both worlds." Seth smirked as well. I turned to my aunt, and said, "Well that wasn't much of a workout, was it? I would escort these fine ." I bit my tongue to that, ". gentlemen outside, but I'm afraid I'm tied up with the associate trainer tryouts." I then turned to the boys, who I hated even more. "Excuse me, gentlemen." I then walked into one of the next rooms, a spare office, closed the door, and laughed with my hand over my mouth. "Maybe that will show them I mean business." I laughed. 


	3. Detention Danger

Chapter 3: Detention Danger  
  
Waking up on Monday, I felt even more miserable than on most Mondays. I had reminded myself that going back to school meant going back to those knuckleheads that keep harassing me, but as the famous saying goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going," so I decided the best way to show that was to get out of bed. Wobbling to the bathroom, I tried opening the door, but it was locked. I knocked on the door, and got an answer. "In a minute!" my brother shouted. Sighing, I put my head against the door. I must have been really tired, because I fell asleep standing up. The next thing I knew, I hit my head on the hard tile floor. In pain, I held my head and stood up, however all I got was a bump on the head. My brother, smiling, said to me, "All done. Your turn."  
  
After getting dressed, I decided that I would take Dratini with me to school, since Mrs. Murphy, our Pokemon teacher, wanted us to bring them. Walking downstairs with my Ultra Ball in hand, I slipped and fell on the third-bottom stair, tumbling down and pushing my Ultra Ball in the air. I shouted, thinking it would break, but luckily my mom caught it at the last second. "You might want to get more sleep, you know," she said, laughing.  
  
Walking down Qwilfish Street, I tripped again, this time I landed on my knee and scraped it. That sure woke me up. "Ouch, I am such a klutz!" Holding my leg for a couple seconds, it felt a little better, so I ignored it and kept walking with a wobble. Of course, this would be okay if someone hadn't seen me.  
  
"Rachel! Wait up!" Aaron said as he ran up to me. "Oh, uh, hey Aaron." I responded back. He looked at the way I walked. "What's wrong? Why is your leg all dinged up?" "Um, I tripped." He smiled. "I'll help you to the bus. I wouldn't want a perfect leg like yours to get worse." I smiled a little bit, mostly because I was tired and didn't know what he was talking about. As Aaron helped me down Qwilfish Street, I was so tired I began to bend over and fall asleep. So, Aaron decided to pick me up and just carry me the rest of the way. Arriving at the bus stop, I thought I heard Seth's voice . "So, you caught something, huh?" I'm assuming that Seth wasn't talking about fish. "Oh yeah. This one's a keeper." Aaron responded, then I thought I saw him lick his lips in an again, degrading, way. It was then I woke up, and noticed where I was. Fully conscious of where I was, I jumped off of Aaron's arms, and walked to Sam and Steph. Then, I said to them, "Don't ask."  
  
Now fully awake and sorry I wasn't before, I stared out the window as it rode down Celebi Boulevard, passing the Stadium. I had remembered the dream I had experienced before, smiling at it. Then, I looked at the Ultra Ball. Dratini would like that too. Around fifteen minutes later, passing a ton of houses that Union Bay is famous for, the bright pastel colored homes, we arrived at school.  
  
Science was the same as Friday, Aaron and Seth joking around as Steph yelled at them and I sat there drawing. At one point Seth thought he saw himself in my doodle. I rolled my eyes to that. Gym class was that same too, we played volleyball, and I surprised everyone when I spiked the ball and it hit a blue-coated goon on the head. I laughed, and then ran to get to the locker and to class on time. At lunchtime, I went outside with Steph and Sam, and just our luck; all the varsity soccer players had the same lunch as I did. Now I would be okay with it, if they didn't started with their usual antics. I looked over at Sam, and she was so red with anger that I thought she was going to explode, and Steph was pretty mad too. Knowing Sam, she doesn't take anything sitting down. And she didn't, once someone called her a cute red tomato. Her fuse had blown out. She went up to Seth, grabbed him by the collar, and started shouting at him, "You leave us alone, you ass! You are so freaking immature! Tell me something, does your mom change your diapers for you?" At this point, Seth snapped, returning the favor, "Listen, you. I think you're hot and all, but don't think you can make fun of me, especially in front of my friends." Sam smiled. "What are you gonna do about it?" He really got mad, and when Aaron joined Seth in the soon-to-be ring, Steph went and joined Sam. "This wasn't going to be fun," I thought to myself. Aaron decided instead of using his fists, he and Seth would let their Pokemon do the talking. "All right, you want a battle? You got a battle!" He then took out the Forest Lizard Pokemon, Kimori. "I thought he only had an Electabuzz," I said to myself. Seth took out his Pochena, and I was equally surprised. Without giving Steph and Sam chance to take out their Pokemon, Seth told Pochena to bite Steph. Pochena said, "Ruff . ruff ruff!" and then charged toward Steph. He jumped up in the air and was ready to bite Steph, but she ducked, making him land behind her. She took out her Friend Ball, and withdrew Chansey, her favorite Pokemon. She then told Chansey to use Light Screen to block her and Sam. Chansey repeated its name; "Chansey!" then went to work on the Light Screens, repeating its name every time it made a screen. When it was done, Sam laughed. "How are you gonna attack now? You can attack us with your Bite attack!" Aaron laughed, "But I can attack you with this! Kimori, use your Jump Kick!" Kimori said, "Ki ki ki ki," like all other Kimori do, then jumped up in the air and set up for its Jump Kick attack. Steph saw it was going right for Chansey and Sam, so Steph took her Fast Ball and threw it, withdrawing Natu, the Little Bird Pokemon. Natu shrieked its name, then flew up into the sky, and then used a Night Shade attack, directed right at Kimori, hitting Aaron. The battle went on and on, until I decided to intervene and stop the battle. "Dratini," I shouted, jumping in the air, "use Ice Beam!" Dratini shot an Ice Beam in the middle of the battlefield, stopping the battle. "Would you all stop acting like little children? Geez, you have to use your Pokemon to stop arguments." It was then the principal came out, and I just thought to myself, "Horrible timing." I said to myself. "The five of you, into my office, now!" he shouted. "Oh, no! I'm in trouble for breaking up a fight."  
  
The five of us walked into the principal's office and sat down on chairs in front of his desk. Then, we were read our punishment. "As punishment for disobeying the Pokemon Use Act and for starting a fight, you are all going to spend four weeks in detention." That's when Sam spoke up. "May I say, Mr. Principle, that Rachel didn't start a fight, rather she ended it." Steph agreed, and then Seth spoke up. "It's wrong for Rachel to serve time for something she didn't do. The four of us aren't going to argue about our times, because we deserve them." My jaw dropped. "Seth stood up for me!?" The principal started getting ticked. "This is not a bargaining table." This is where I came in. "But Mr. Principle, you're the one that always says to argue something that you feel is unjust." The principal sighed, and then spoke up. "I can't argue with my own words, I guess." He said, continuing. "Rachel, you will only serve one and a half weeks of detention for abusing the Pokemon Use Act." I bowed as according to my country, Kuren's, customs. "Thank you, Mr. Principle." He smiled to me. "I'll see you all at three in detention hall."  
  
Three o' clock came very fast. I sighed, and then walked into the hall. Everyone else was already there, and we were the only ones present in detention. I sat at a table alone and started to do my work. Then, Aaron came up to me. "You know," he said, "I admire what you did today. Stopping the fight and all." I smiled. "No problem." Aaron smirked. "You're gonna drive me crazy with that smile of yours." I rolled my eyes, and he returned to my seat. About fifteen minutes later, the principal came up to me, but not because I was in trouble. He wanted to ask me something. "Rachel, I have a question to ask you," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Yes, Mr. Principle?" "You know how some students in this school are able to teach classes, and you know you're one of them." "Uh . Mr. Principle?" I was confused. "We would like you to teach a class on Legendary Pokemon Studies and a class on Pokemon Gym Battling." I was psyched. "Absolutely, Mr. Principle, thank you, thanks so much!" I started shrieking. He laughed. "Well, since you're doing a favor for me, your detention sentence is permanently lifted." I was so overwhelmed that I hugged the principal. He was definitely surprised but was not angry, just happy. Then, pulling back, I apologized, and then bowed. "Thank you so much!" I ran out of detention hall screaming my head off. Then I withdrew Dratini, and we danced together as we ran on home. 


	4. Oh, The Drama of it All!

Chapter 4: Oh, The Drama of it All!  
  
Late at night, I crawled downstairs to watch Pokemon TV, since I couldn't sleep, but all that were on were The Amazing Adventures of Quagsire and Living with My Evolution. "Ugh, there is nothing on!" I mumbled under my breath, then turned the TV off and fell asleep on the couch.  
  
The next morning, I awoke to find my mother standing over me. "So, I assume you didn't sleep?" she said, her hands on her hips and a serious look on her face. I smiled. "Yeah." Then I got up and walked upstairs to my bathroom. Luckily, Alex, my brother, was still sleeping. I took my toothbrush, moved it around in my mouth to remove all the plaque, then spit into the sink. Then, I closed the door and went to the bathroom, when I was done, I made sure I was fully dressed, opened the door, washed my hands, and walked out of the bathroom and downstairs to eat breakfast. Taking a bowl from the cabinet, I sat down at the table and poured myself some Poli-O's, a sugar cereal that turns milk blue. Pouring fresh Miltank milk from the Miltank farms near Goldenrod city in the nearby country of Johto. "You know, I think I'm outgrowing these!" I said, laughing as my milk turned blue. My dad looked out from behind his newspaper and laughed. "You know something? I think you're right." I grabbed my spoon and started eating my cereal. They were full of sugar, but good nonetheless. Alex, at this point, walked downstairs and grabbed another bowl and spoon from their respective places and started pouring the Poli-O's into his bowl, but before his bowl was full, the box was empty. "Oh man," he shouted, "what am I going to do?" My mom walked into the room from the family room. "There's six more boxes in the cereal cabinet. Go grab one." I laughed. "You're gonna turn into a Poliwag!" He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me the milk."  
  
Walking the same route as I do everyday, today was just a little more exciting. Today was the tryouts for the school musical, Escucha mi Corazon. Unfortunately, all the songs were in Spanish, a language I hadn't learned, since I was studying French, but I'm sure I could handle it. I was dancing down the street like a lunatic, doing the samba, the flamenco, and other Spanish dance steps and singing the main song from the musical. When people started staring, I stopped dancing. Reaching the bus stop, I stopped, standing next to Steph. "Are you trying out for the musical?" she asked. "Of course," I mentioned proudly, "and you?" "Well, I was thinking about it." I smiled. "You should! It's gonna be really fun!" She looked at me with a face that meant she didn't believe me. "Oh yeah, like last year's musical? I had to dance on a platform suspended from the ceiling!" I rolled my eyes. "I know, I was on that same platform." She laughed.  
  
The bus got here rather early. Of course, naturally we would have sat in the back, but since I became the personal blunt of Aaron and Seth's jokes, Steph and I decided to sit near the front. Thirty seconds later, Sam came on board. She had an annoyed face on. "You didn't wait for me!" she yelled. Steph told her why we didn't, explaining that if we did, I would have been dragged away to the darkest corners of the earth. "Huh?" Sam did not understand Steph's analogies. "She would have been forced to sit next to Aaron." Sam smiled and said a flat, "Oh."  
  
Arriving at school, I walked off the bus and into the building. Stopping at my locker to get my books for the first half of the day, I thought I heard Aaron say, "Nice ass." Even if he didn't, I still was annoyed at him. Could you blame me?  
  
It turns out he did say what I thought he said, because he kept repeating it in science, along with replacing my behind with other parts of my body. I felt like a store mannequin with Aaron and Seth staring at me like they always do. I snapped them out of their delusions, and the four of us returned to the project. However, as I was painting Pelippaa's beak a yellow color, I heard Aaron whisper to Seth, "I like the feisty ones." I ignored them and returned to painting the Pelippaa. In gym class, more of the same, as Seth and the rest of the soccer team were deliberately checking me out, however, that might not have been a good idea since we were playing dodgeball, catch my drift? I started teaching my legendary Pokemon/Pokemon gym Battling today in one of the many wings of the school. It turns out, none of the immature soccer boys were in my class, but I saw some girls with the same blue varsity jacket. Plus, Steph and Sam were in the class too. "I didn't realize you girls get varsity jackets," I told them. "Well, the boys and girls play on the same soccer team," one of the girls said, "and I think we're more mature and better players than the boys on our team."  
  
I laughed. "I can account to that." The class was going to be split into two half-year classes. This half of the school year was to be on Pokemon Gym Battling. After I was done talking about the class, I let the students write out their Pokemon Gym teams and their favorite types. I always knew that Steph liked normal Pokemon, but psychic Pokemon for Steph surprised me. "She has a Natu though, so I guess that fits," I told myself.  
  
After lunch, which was pretty uneventful, I had English class, where I had to write a story, which was easy for me, because I could write, but in history, I got to look forward to more tormenting from Aaron. Today, he put his arm around me and moved his chair closer to mine as he wrote down the notes Mr. Martinez put on the board. "Oh, just take me now!" I thought loud in my head as I wrote the notes down as well. After class, Aaron wanted to follow me to my locker and hold my books for me until I got home, but I told him I wasn't leaving school. "Oh, I'm not leaving school just yet." I told him. He frowned, but then quickly had a menacing smile, and sprinted in the direction of the auditorium. I shrugged, got my books that I would need for homework, put all the others in my locker, slammed it shut, then walked into the auditorium. I sat down next to Steph, when the tryouts for the musical began. All the boys were to go up first to do a dance routine for Manuel, the main man in the story, as the girls went to another room to sing for one for the music teacher. When I looked on stage to see who was trying out, I saw both Aaron and Seth on stage, learning the dance moves. "Oh no! Now I'm really in for it!" I panicked. I was even more shocked when Aaron and Seth actually were learning the dance moves with ease.  
  
I was third to sing, so when it was my turn, I entered the practice room. Mrs. Albert, the music teacher, told me to start whenever I was ready. I picked the main song from the musical, which just happed to be the same name as the musical, Escucha mi Corazon. I closed my eyes, stared the song slow, then sped up just like the lead in the movie that I saw. At the end, I held my arms up and sand the last few notes with so much passion that I started bending back. Mrs. Albert, obviously impressed, smiled, and thanked me, telling me that I was done the singing portion of the audition. As I walked out of the room, I noticed that all the boys were done the dancing portion. I ran out onto the stage, where the speaking and dancing portion was. After finishing the speaking or acting portion, we all came out on stage to do the dancing portion. The dance teacher, Mrs. Stevens, taught us the dance moves, then we danced those moves in groups of six. Steph, Sam, and I were in the first group, so we stayed out. I stood in the front row center, with Steph and Sam to either side of me. Right before the music started, I noticed that the boys came back into the room and were watching us. I didn't worry though, I knew exactly what I was doing. And then, the music started.  
  
I had so much fun as I twirled around, throwing my hands where they were needed and smiling as much as possible. In the end, Steph and Sam came a little too close to me, but we didn't crash or anything, we just ended closer together. As the music stopped and the boys clapped loudly in support of us, I laughed. "Let's see the boys do that," I said to myself. The teachers told us that the cast list would be up tomorrow.  
  
The next day, I ran to the bus stop, complained that the bus was going to slow, ran into school, spent two seconds in my locker, ran over several people in the hallway, and up to the call list. I didn't see my name at the bottom, so either I got a really good part or I got nothing. Finally, at the top of the list, I read the following: For the main role of Ana, the role goes to . Rachel Stevens. At that time, I screamed the loudest scream I had ever screamed. I was so happy, I was jumping up and down. Aaron snuck up behind me, and said to me, "I see you got the main role of Ana." Then he checked the call list, and then said again to me, "And I see I got Manuel." At that point, my eyes widened. "Wait, you're the lead male, and I'm the lead female? But the lead male and female . have to kiss!" He moved into me wrapping his arms around my waist. "Yeah, isn't that great!" Then he changes the topic and pushing in closer. "You know, we should practice that kiss sometime." I grunted in disgust. 


	5. Nice Nighttime Stroll

Chapter 5: Nice Nighttime Stroll  
  
Later that night, I kept tossing and turning. I was having a nightmare, a really scary nightmare. My hands were handcuffed to a bar at Union Bay Mall with the water rising further and further up during a monsoon. I struggled to get out but it was of no avail. Then, I thought I heard someone coming. I turned around, and I saw, of all people, Aaron, who was smiling maliciously, wearing a different combo of clothing, a black t-shirt - jeans combo. He stood over me, grabbed the tip of my neck and forced it up, and started kissing me on the lips. It was so disgusting. Then, uncuffing me from the bar, he cuffed me again, but this time, to him. "You aren't leaving me. You'll be with me . forever." Then, I woke up, horrified. I decided to take a walk.  
  
Walking in Union City at night was incredibly safe, crime rates were at their lowest in a century. Walking down Qwilfish Street to Entei Boulevard, like I do often, the path seemed very different from when I was walking in the daytime. After arriving at Statue Plaza, I walked over to the fountain, which was on and had lights on underneath, giving the water a nice effect, and lied down on the side, and stared up at the starts. I had almost dozed off when I noticed that Alex had followed me here. "Hey, what are you doing out here? It's 3 in the morning!" I said to him one he came over to me. "I was going to ask you the same question. I'm going to tell Mom about this!" he teased me. "But how would you know I was unless you were out too?" I had tricked him. "Oh, all right. I won't tell Mom. But promise not to tell on me?" I smiled. "Yeah, I promised."  
  
I noticed that Pichu had tagged along with my brother. "Pichu," he quietly said, crawling on top of me and falling asleep on my stomach. "Hey, what's he doing here?" He smiled. "Pichu was worried about you too."  
  
I grinned as well. Seeing my brother care about me is worth its weight in gold. "So, has Pichu gotten stronger?" I asked, trying to make conversation. He lied down on the fountain next to me. "Yeah, he finally learned Thundershock."  
  
"Hey," I exclaimed, cheering him up, "that's great! Be careful though, Pichu will be hurt if he uses Thundershock, because he can't hold electricity yet." "Oh yeah, I already know," my brother said to me, "He tried using Thundershock once, it really hurt him, so I had to take him to the Pokemon Center near us." "Oh, well at least you knew where to go. Have they finished the remodeling?" "Yeah, it's all high-tech now. Nurse Joy really likes it." "Well, I have to stop by and say hello to her." "Yeah, she keeps asking about you?"  
  
"Well, Nurse Joy is like a part of our family," I said, remembering all those New Year's Days she spent with us. She even gave us gifts from time to time. I still have her 'Complete Trainer Kit' from last year, that's where the Ultra Ball that holds my Dratini is from. Also remembering that the Ultra Ball was still clipped to my belt, I let Dratini out, who curled up on my stomach and went to sleep alongside Pichu.  
  
About five minutes later, we saw two other people coming in our direction. Surprisingly, it was Steph and Sam. "Hey," I called out to them, "over here."  
  
Sam noticed us and took Steph by the hand, and the two of them came over to the fountain. Steph took her bag and used it as a pillow, lying down next to Alex. Sam lied down on the grass. "So, what are you two doing out here?" I asked them. "Same as you, I gather, we can't sleep." Steph mentioned. We went on and on, talking about things in general. At one point, Steph took out Chansey, who brought enough pillows in her pouch for ten people. Alex and I each grabbed one, and so did Sam. Steph was also offered a pillow by Chansey, but Steph said she didn't want it, and that Chansey should lie down with the pillow.  
  
Then, two other people came to the fountain after they recognized us. It was Aaron and Seth. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Aaron said, confused. "Do I really need to answer that question for you?" Alex said to Aaron. I laughed. Aaron and Seth decided to join us. Aaron crept in behind me, spreading his legs so that I could sleep on his stomach. I really didn't care if it was for his benefit or mine. Seth laid down next to Steph and Sam. I decided to leave a message on the answering machine at home by calling from my Pokegear. I whipped it out of my belt, and then called my house. "Yeah, Mom, we're all out at Statue Park. We'll be there, so don't worry about us." Then I hung up, put the Pokegear back on the belt, and moved my hands above my head and touching Aaron's chest. "Well, he may be a jerk, but man, is he ever built!" I said to myself, as I felt his bulging pectoral muscles. Aaron grunted happily, as if to enjoy it. I laughed lightly.  
  
"Man, if only one of our Pokemon knew how to Sing," Seth complained. It just snapped into Steph's brain, Chansey knows how to Sing! So, she told Chansey to use Sing, which it did, causing every one of us to fall asleep. The last thing I remember was Aaron wrapping his arms around me. I felt comforted by him for the first time ever.  
  
When I opened my eyes, I noticed it was daylight. I took some water from the fountain and splashed it on my face. Then I woke Alex up, grabbed Pichu and Dratini, and started walking home, where an angry mother was facing us. Luckily, she wasn't worried or upset, since I called her and told her where we were. Then, I went upstairs to get ready. 


	6. Soccer Daze

Chapter 6: Soccer Daze  
  
The next day, after getting some sleep in my own bed, I awoke to two Pokemon sitting on my pillow, looking over me. When I opened my eyes, all I could see were tufts of yellow and blue. I shrieked, and Pichu, the one with the yellow skin, of course, shocked himself. Fortunately, it wasn't so bad that he fainted; he just needed a little rest. Dratini crawled up to my head, smiled, and shouted its famous line, "Dratini tini!" I laughed, and then stood up, with Dratini still on my head. Brushing my teeth, Dratini started nudging me and pointed to my toothbrush. I sighed, and then brushed Dratini's teeth too. We both gargled water and spit into the sink. I laughed and said to Dratini, "Where did you learn to do that?"  
  
I put Dratini back in his Ultra Ball, and then got dressed, wearing the newest fashion from Metro City, the Kuren answer to New York City in America, and then walked downstairs to eat breakfast. Not going to risk having cereal with blue milk, I toasted a bagel, and covered it with cream cheese, a simple but surprisingly popular breakfast among teenagers in Union Bay. I grabbed a plate, set the bagel down on it, poured myself a glass of orange juice, and ate my very warm bagel. It tasted very good, the cream cheese brand new from the supermarket three blocks away. After eating the bagel, I drank my orange juice, ran out the door, and down the street to the bus stop. After getting on the bus, I decided to brave the negative vibe I always feel from the soccer team and sat in the back. Steph and Sam, still a little wiry of the soccer dorks, decided to sit in the front.  
  
Of course, once I sat down, the harassing began. Aaron and Eric decided they would help me as much as they possibly could, Aaron holding my books and Eric carrying my schoolbag. I guess it was nice and all, until Aaron told me to come sit on his lap. That was a little too much. "What, you didn't like the cuddling on Wednesday night? I sure did!" Aaron coyly said. I sighed. "Yeah, I know you liked it! You were getting aroused by it!" I thought to myself. "Um, we were sleeping, so I don't remember." I lied. He dropped it, and went back to looking out the window for a while, until I accidentally brushed my hand against his arm. "So, you did enjoy it!" he said, and that dumb smirk reappeared on his face. Then, he put his arm around me and moved me close enough so that I was almost on top of him. "Maybe we should do this more often," he said, laughing. At that point, Steph and Sam turned around to me, Sam with a smart look on her face. I could just tell what she was thinking inside of that brain of hers, it was probably something like, "Oh, so those two are just acting for us!" I quickly cleared that delusion by punching him in the ribs. He turned back to me, and said that he liked tough girls. "Great," I said to myself again, "No matter what I do, I'm always Aaron's type."  
  
The morning classes were the same as always, boring. Science was as usual, an Aaron-and-Seth-fest, and I for one was about ready to tell them what I really thought of them. Gym class was next, and we did gymnastics, I laughed as Seth lost his balance and fell on the floor. I was always good at gymnastics, and to do several front flips in a row was just to show to him that I wasn't some weak girl that he thought existed. Of course, you all realize that I was going to get back at both him and Aaron for calling me weak, but it didn't occur to me what I should do until the next class, which was the Pokemon Gym Battling class. Some of the girls on the varsity soccer team asked if I was trying out for the team that afternoon. It suddenly hit me that this would be a great way to show I was not only un- weak, but incredibly strong. So, instead of hanging out with Steph, Sam, Dumb and Dumber, I'd go practice with the soccer girls. At lunch, we went out to the soccer field, where most of the girls from the co-ed soccer team were practicing for the day's tryouts. I practiced with them, and to my surprise, they told me I was quite good and that I should be able to make the team.  
  
After lunch was study period for most people, but I had practice for the musical with Aaron. Since I wanted the tryouts to be a surprise, I wasn't going to tell him what I was about to do. Between our lines, Aaron had started a conversation with me. "Where were you at lunch," he asked, "I missed you so much!" He then pushed him and me together in a sort-of hug. "Oh, uh, I was in the principal's office, discussing some things." I lied again. It seemed so easy to make up stuff, and then make Aaron believe it was true. "Well, at least we get to spend this period together." He then turned to me and wet his lips in anticipation. Then, the teacher interrupted us. "All right, Rachel, Aaron, let's practice that kiss at the end of the musical." Aaron cheered loudly, and I sulked. After a few moments, we faced each other. "Okay," the teacher told us, "I want this really passionate, you know, how you guys kiss your boyfriends and girlfriends." Apparently the drama teacher never had an actual girlfriend. Aaron turned to me, and I turned to him. It was supposed to be one of the most miserable moments of my life, but in actuality, it was one of the best. Aaron might have felt giddy with excitement, but I felt awkward as our lips came closer and closer together. Then, when I thought maybe I couldn't do the kiss, Aaron grabbed the back of my head and lunged it at him, and our lips met in great force. I should have been disgusted, but surprisingly, I liked it. When Aaron added his tongue to the kiss, I went for it too, and eventually we would end up pressed against each other with Aaron on top of me, pushing our mouths together over and over. For the first time, I had actually liked Aaron, even perhaps more than a friend. Perhaps Sam was right; maybe we would become a couple. Then, when the drama teacher saw enough was enough, he told us to stop. Aaron sat up, and extended a hand to me, with which I used to help me sit up. I was blushing, but Aaron was awed. "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" I was too ashamed to say anything. I had kissed Aaron! Geez, someone gag me!  
  
After school, I met the varsity girls in the locker room, who also were in this plan, but now because they wanted to show Aaron and Seth a thing or two, but to prove to the boys that they were important to the team. So, we all decided to wear blue shirts, khaki shorts and blue face paint. Then, as they were all putting their hair in buns, one of the girls, named Katie, handed me a scrunchie - one of those things you put on to hold a bun in place - girls know what I mean - and a cute pink bow to pin into the bun. "Now you're part of the girls team!" Katie shouted. To pump up ourselves, we huddled together and did one of those warm-up cheers: Oh who's the best in the neighborhood . oh we are the best in the neighborhood! Shout 1.2.3.4 . Cause we all know that girls rule! All right, so it's a little silly, but hey, it works!  
  
Running out onto the field, I had already noticed that the boys were already on the field. Noticing that there were ten boys trying out for the team and there were two of us girls. "Geez, the boys are horribly outnumbered!" I said, worried. Katie laughed. "Ech, don't worry, those boys couldn't train them half as well as we trained you." I smiled. Then, the girls lined up behind the previously lined boys. I didn't know if Aaron saw me, but he must of known I was there considering the coach called my name and put me to a position, center forward.  
  
It was boys vs. girls. Katie was playing right center, while Aaron and Seth were also playing forwards. One of he new boys was in the center. Katie introduced me to Andrea, the player playing left center. "Hey, Rachel!" Andrea greeted, "Hope you get on the team, it would rock!" I smiled. "Yeah, I hope so too." Katie laughed. "Don't worry, I'm betting you will." And with that, the coach came out to start the game. He put the soccer ball in between the new boy and me. Then, he explained that the first team to score wins. Then he blew the whistle, which signaled the beginning of the game. I kicked the ball to Katie, who got it passed the new kid, but not Aaron, who stole it and started moving it towards the goal, but fortunately, the girls on the defense kicked it towards me. I took the job seriously. "Okay Rachel," I told myself, "Time to show these boys what I'm really made of." I started kicking it rapidly towards the boys' goal. There was only one problem: Seth was standing right in front of me. No problem, kick it under his legs. Then, I did what any smart and strong girl would do. I flipped over him. Aaron called to the coach, "Is that legal?" The coach nodded, "It is in Kuren soccer." I laughed. Nothing was going to get me from winning it from my team. I dribbled it past the defense and right to the goal, unfortunately the goalie blocked it. Again, acting on my instincts, I kicked my feet up in the air, to the side, and hit the ball again, this time; the ball went in the goal. Andrea cheered and shouted, "Now that's how you play soccer!" We girls did a victory dance while the boys stood there, looking confused. I saw that Aaron and Seth looked especially puzzled.  
  
The coach had announced the five new players on the team. The other girl and I made it, which was a huge upset to the boys. "I'm on the team!" I celebrated. Katie came over to hug me. "You did great out there!" she said to me. "Glad to have you with us." For Katie, one of the best players on the team, to tell me I was great on the field, I was really grateful. Having friends like Steph, Sam, Katie and Andrea were all I needed for me to succeed. 


End file.
